--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The intimate relation between humor and…" description: "\"The intimate relation between humor and faith is derived from the fact that both deal with the incongruities of our existence. Laughter is our reaction..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8d/reinhold-niebuhr-1881_comedy_the-intimate-relation-between-humor-and_1789060.png" --- # The intimate relation between humor and faith is derived… ![“The intimate relation between humor and faith is derived from the fact that both deal with the incongruities of our existence. Laughter is our reaction to immediate incongruities and those which do not affect us essentially. Faith is the only possible response to the ultimate incongruities of…” quote by Reinhold Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8d/reinhold-niebuhr-1881_comedy_the-intimate-relation-between-humor-and_1789060.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8d/reinhold-niebuhr-1881_comedy_the-intimate-relation-between-humor-and_1789060.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8d/reinhold-niebuhr-1881_comedy_the-intimate-relation-between-humor-and_1789060.png) > “The intimate relation between humor and faith is derived from the fact that both deal with the incongruities of our existence. Laughter is our reaction to immediate incongruities and those which do not affect us essentially. Faith is the only possible response to the ultimate incongruities of existence, which threaten the very meaning of our life.” [Reinhold Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-niebuhr/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humor and faith both address life's contradictions; humor reacts to minor absurdities, while faith confronts ultimate existential dilemmas. **In simple terms:** Humor and faith handle contradictions. Key Takeaway Use humor and faith to navigate life's paradoxes. Themes humor faith existentialism Mood contemplative balanced Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - counseling - creative writing - public speaking - personal reflection Key Concepts psychology theology Questions to Reflect On - When does humor become disrespectful? - How can faith coexist with skepticism? A Different Perspective Humor may trivialize deep suffering. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Incongruity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incongruity/) [Intimate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intimate/) [Laughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughter/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) ## Related quotes > [“Humour is, in fact, a prelude to faith; and laughter is the beginning of prayer. Laughter must be heard in the outer courts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhold-niebuhr/humour-is-in-fact-a-prelude-to-faith-and-laughter-is-the-beginning-of/) [Reinhold Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-niebuhr/) > [I love this life, because I am a human being and it sure would be nice, I think, to preserve it. But I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/i-love-this-life-because-i-am-a-human-being-and-it-sure-would-be-nice/) [Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/) > [I can only do what I do with a spirit of humor, and faith and give the controls over to something else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/i-can-only-do-what-i-do-with-a-spirit-of-humor-and-faith-and-give-the/) [Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/) > [“Those who find no humor in faith are probably those who find the church a refuge for their own black way of looking at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-schulz/those-who-find-no-humor-in-faith-are-probably-those-who-find-the/) [Charles M. Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-schulz/) > [Evangelicals always assume that humor and faith are contradictory. It's OK to smile, to be nice, but not frivolous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-yaconelli/evangelicals-always-assume-that-humor-and-faith-are-contradictory-it/) [Mike Yaconelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-yaconelli/) > [Faith is the final triumph over incongruity, the final assertion of the meaningfulness of existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhold-niebuhr/faith-is-the-final-triumph-over-incongruity-the-final-assertion-of/) [Reinhold Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-niebuhr/) > [All social cooperation on a larger scale than the most intimate social group requires a measure of coercion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhold-niebuhr/all-social-cooperation-on-a-larger-scale-than-the-most-intimate/) [Reinhold Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-niebuhr/) > [“In all the mad incongruity, the turgid stultiloquy of life, I felt, at least, securely anchored to myself. Whatever the vacillations of other people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/in-all-the-mad-incongruity-the-turgid-stultiloquy-of-life-i-felt-at/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [Incongruity is the mainspring of laughter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-beerbohm/incongruity-is-the-mainspring-of-laughter/) [Max Beerbohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-beerbohm/) > [It is better to emit a scream in the shape of a theory than to be entirely insensible to the jars and incongruities of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/it-is-better-to-emit-a-scream-in-the-shape-of-a-theory-than-to-be/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [Humor may be defined as the kindly contemplation of the incongruities of life, and the artistic expression thereof.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-leacock/humor-may-be-defined-as-the-kindly-contemplation-of-the-incongruities/) [Stephen Leacock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-leacock/) > [People will not follow a leader with moral incongruities for long. 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There is tragedy enough in our daily routine, but there is room…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-osler/but-whatever-you-do-take-neither-yourselves-nor-your-fellow-creatures/) [William Osler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-osler/) > [Yet again, an ancient answer echoes across the centuries: Listen! Listen to stories! 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The Marxist illusion is partly derived…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhold-niebuhr/liberalism-makes-this-mistake-in-regard-to-private-property-and/) [Reinhold Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-niebuhr/) > [Human beings are endowed by nature with both selfish and unselfish impulses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhold-niebuhr/human-beings-are-endowed-by-nature-with-both-selfish-and-unselfish/) [Reinhold Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-niebuhr/) > [There are historic situations in which refusal to defend the inheritance of a civilization, however imperfect, against tyranny and aggression may result in consequences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhold-niebuhr/there-are-historic-situations-in-which-refusal-to-defend-the/) [Reinhold Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-niebuhr/) > [God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhold-niebuhr/god-grant-me-the-serenity-to-accept-the-things-i-cannot-change/) [Reinhold Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-niebuhr/) > [Freedom is necessary for two reasons. It's necessary for the individual, because the individual, no matter how good the society is, every individual has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhold-niebuhr/freedom-is-necessary-for-two-reasons-it-s-necessary-for-the/) [Reinhold Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-niebuhr/) > [The pretensions of final truth are always partlyan effort to obscure a darkly felt consciousness of the limits of human knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhold-niebuhr/the-pretensions-of-final-truth-are-always-partlyan-effort-to-obscure/) [Reinhold Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-niebuhr/) > [All social cooperation on a larger scale than the most intimate social group requires a measure of coercion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhold-niebuhr/all-social-cooperation-on-a-larger-scale-than-the-most-intimate/) [Reinhold Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-niebuhr/) > [Man is always worse than most people suspect, but also generally better than most people dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhold-niebuhr/man-is-always-worse-than-most-people-suspect-but-also-generally/) [Reinhold Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-niebuhr/) > [When a church reaches up beyond its group and tries to enforce its standards upon a society that doesn't accept these standards, and perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhold-niebuhr/when-a-church-reaches-up-beyond-its-group-and-tries-to-enforce-its/) [Reinhold Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-niebuhr/) > [...(I)ndividual selfhood is expressed in the self's capacity for self-transcendence and not in its rational capacity for conceptual and analytic procedures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhold-niebuhr/i-ndividual-selfhood-is-expressed-in-the-self-s-capacity-for-self/) [Reinhold Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-niebuhr/) > [The whole art of politics consists in directing rationally the irrationalities of men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhold-niebuhr/the-whole-art-of-politics-consists-in-directing-rationally-the/) [Reinhold Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-niebuhr/) > [Religion is so frequently a source of confusion in political life, and so frequently dangerous to democracy, precisely because it introduces absolutes into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhold-niebuhr/religion-is-so-frequently-a-source-of-confusion-in-political-life-and/) [Reinhold Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-niebuhr/) [Explore all 200 Reinhold Niebuhr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-niebuhr/) ## More Comedy quotes > ['Mad TV' is one of my most favorite shows of all time and is a huge part of my obsession with sketch comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-dawson/mad-tv-is-one-of-my-most-favorite-shows-of-all-time-and-is-a-huge/) [Shane Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-dawson/) > [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/) [Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/) > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [I wouldn't want people to laugh at me. 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